U.S. patent number 6,079,575 [Application Number 09/233,453] was granted by the patent office on 2000-06-27 for multilayered rack assembly.
Invention is credited to Chang Chou Wang.
United States Patent |
6,079,575 |
Wang |
June 27, 2000 |
Multilayered rack assembly
Abstract
A multilayered rack is composed of four upright rods and a
plurality of shelves. The upright rods are provided in the outer
wall thereof with a plurality of circular grooves arranged at
spaced interval. The shelves are each provided at four corners
thereof with a retaining ring and two arcuate pieces, each piece
having a locating rib. The shelves are each provided at four
corners thereof with two insertion segments and a cross rod. The
retaining ring has a fastening block which is provided with two
insertion holes for receiving the insertion segments, a concealing
portion, and an inverted hook for engaging the cross rod. The
shelves are fastened with the upright rods such that the locating
ribs of the arcuate pieces of the retaining ring of the shelves are
retained in one of the circular grooves of the upright rods.
Inventors: |
Wang; Chang Chou (Changhua,
TW) |
Family
ID: |
26062222 |
Appl.
No.: |
09/233,453 |
Filed: |
January 20, 1999 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
211/187; 108/110;
108/147.13; 211/181.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47B
55/02 (20130101); A47B 57/265 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47B
55/02 (20060101); A47B 55/00 (20060101); A47B
57/00 (20060101); A47B 57/26 (20060101); A47F
005/14 (); A47B 009/08 () |
Field of
Search: |
;211/187,181.1,147.13,147.15,147.12,188
;108/147.12,147.13,147.15,144.11,106,107,110,134 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Stodola; Daniel P.
Assistant Examiner: Novosad; Jennifer E.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Bacon & Thomas
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A multilayered rack assembly comprising:
a) four upright rods, each rod having a plurality of circular
grooves formed in an outer wall thereof and spaced at intervals
along the length of the rod;
b) a plurality of shelves, each shelf having four corners, each
corner including a pair of insertion segments and a cross rod
disposed at a right angle to the insertion segments;
c) a fastening assembly securing each corner of each shelf to an
upright rod at a selected position on the rod, the fastening
assembly including a pair of arcuate pieces and a retaining ring;
and
d) each arcuate piece having a locating rib engaged within a
corresponding groove at the selected position, the retaining ring
enclosing the arcuate pieces for securing the arcuate pieces to the
rod in the selected position, the retaining ring including at least
one fastening block extending outwardly therefrom, the block having
a pair of insertion holes within which the pair of insertion
segments are inserted, an inverted hook engaged around the cross
rod, and a concealing portion concealing the insertion holes and
inverted hook.
2. The multilayered rack assembly of claim 1 wherein each retaining
ring includes a pair of fastening blocks extending outwardly
therefrom in opposite directions.
3. A multilayered rack assembly comprising:
a) four support rods, each support rod including at least one
upright rod element;
b) a plurality of shelves, each shelf having four corners, each
corner including a pair of insertion segments and a cross rod
disposed at a right angle to the insertion segments;
c) a retaining block securing each corner of each shelf to a
support rod, the retaining block is in the form of a body having a
pair of insertion holes formed therein and within which the pair of
insertion segments are inserted, an inverted hook extending around
and directly engaging an end of the cross rod to secure the end to
the block, a retaining groove receiving at least one upright rod
element, a concealing portion concealing the insertion holes, said
concealing portion extending beyond said insertion holes in a
direction away from said groove and terminating at said inverted
hook, said hook extending toward said end of said cross rod away
from said concealing portion and fitting directly between said
insertion segments without engaging the insertion segments on the
sides thereof opposite to the sides facing the concealing portion.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a rack, and more
particularly to a multilayered rack assembly.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As shown in FIG. 1, a multilayered rack A of the prior art is
provided at four comers thereof with an upright rod A1 which is in
fact composed of two upright rods fastened together by welding. In
addition, the multilayered rack A is further provided with a
plurality of cross rods A2 and wires A3 in conjunction with a
plurality of retaining blocks A4 having an arcuate recess A41 which
is fastened with an inner upright rod A11. Such a prior art
multilayered rack as described above is defective in design in that
it is not cost-effective, cannot be easily assembled, cannot be
shipped economically, and is complicated in construction, as shown
in FIGS. 1A and 1B.
As shown in FIG. 2, another multilayered rack B of the prior art is
composed of a plurality of upright support rods B1, shelves B2, and
retaining rings B21 which are fastened with the shelves B2 by
welding, as shown in FIG. 2A. The upright support rods B1 are each
provided in the outer surface thereof with a plurality of circular
grooves B11. The shelves B2 are located by the retaining rings B21
in conjunction with the circular grooves B11. The prior art
multilayered rack B described above is also complicated in
construction, thereby making the multilayered rack B difficult to
assemble. In addition, the assembly of the multilayered rack B
requires welding work and the welded portions of the rack B are
prone to detachment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary objective of the present invention is therefore to
provide a multilayered rack which is relatively simple in
construction and can be thus assembled with ease and speed.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a
multilayered rack which is well built and durable.
It is still another objective of the present invention to provide a
multilayered rack which is versatile in design so as to enhance the
marketability of the multilayered rack.
The objectives, features, and functions of the present invention
will be readily understood upon a thoughtful deliberation of the
following detailed description of the present invention with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a multilayered rack of the prior
art.
FIG. 1A shows a partial schematic view of the prior art rack as
shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 1B shows another partial schematic view of the prior art rack
as shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of another multilayered rack of the
prior art.
FIG. 2A shows a partial schematic view of the prior art rack as
shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a multilayered rack of the
present invention.
FIG. 3A shows a partial exploded view of the multilayered rack of
the present invention.
FIG. 3B shows a partial sectional view of the multilayered rack of
the present invention.
FIG. 4 shows a partial exploded view of a multilayered rack of
another preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 shows a side view of the present invention in
combination.
FIG. 5A shows a partial exploded view of the another preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5B shows a partial schematic view of the another preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5C shows a partial sectional view of the another preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 3A, a multilayered rack assembly 2
according to the present invention is composed of four upright rods
21 and a plurality of shelves 22. The upright rods 21 are each
provided in the outer wall thereof with a plurality of circular
grooves 211 arranged at spaced intervals. The shelves 22 are
fastened with the upright rods 21 by a plurality of fastening
assemblies that each include a retaining ring 24 in conjunction
with two arcuate pieces 23. The arcuate pieces 23 are symmetrical
to each other and are each provided in the inner wall thereof with
a locating rib 231. The shelves 22 are each provided at each of the
four corners thereof with two insertion segments 221 and a cross
rod 222 disposed at a right angle to the insertion segment 221. The
retaining rings 24 are each provided with a fastening block 241
which is made integrally therewith and is provided with two
insertion holes 242, a concealing portion 243, and an inverted hook
244. The shelves 22 are fastened with the retaining rings 24 such
that the insertion segments 221 are inserted into the insertion
holes 242 of the retaining rings 24 which are in turn fastened with
the upright rods 21 in conjunction with two arcuate pieces 23. The
cross rod 222 of the shelves 22 is secured by the inverted hook
244, as shown in FIG. 3B. The retaining ring 24 is sleeved onto the
arcuate pieces 23 which are maintained imposition by the locating
ribs 231 of the arcuate pieces 23 being retained in the selected
circular groove 211 of the upright rod 21.
As shown in FIG. 4, the retaining ring 24' is provided with two
fastening blocks 241' which are opposite in location to each other
and are each provided with two insertion holes 242', a concealing
portion 243', and an inverted hook 244'. The retaining rings 24'
are used to fasten two multilayered racks together side by
side.
As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 5A, a multilayered rack 3 of another p
referred embodiment of the present invention is composed of a
plurality of support rods 31, each of which is formed of two
upright rod elements fastened together side by side by welding, and
a plurality of cross rod 332. The shelves 33 are provided with
insertion segments 331 which are inserted into the insertion holes
342 of the retaining block 34, as shown in FIG. 5A. The retaining
block 34 is provided with a concealing portion 343 and an inverted
hook 344 that directly fits between the insertion segments 331
without engaging the rear sides thereof opposite the sides facing
the concealing portion 343. The retaining block 34 is provided at
one end thereof with a retaining groove 341 in which the inner rod
311 of the upright rod 31 is retained, as shown in FIGS. 5B and
5C.
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